Vanity case



March 9; 1948. Fl M wlLLgAMSQN 2,437,578

VANITY CASE Filed April l14, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet l 'lem' z zo i5 5 /l/Ahf (Itforneg VANITY cAsE` Filed April 14, 1945 2 Sheets-Shed 2 :inventor A- Patented Mar. 9, 1948 UNl'iD STATES PATENT OFFICE VANITY CASE:

Floyd M; Williamson,v Detroit; Mich. Application April .14, 194.5,v scriaiNc. 588,286.

17.A claims. (ci. 13a-83.6)

This invention relates to vanity cases, of the type comprising a mirror and means for wiping the same free of powder.

An object of the invention isto improve the construction of the present-day vanity caseA or compact whereby it will be better adapted to serving the wants of the user becauseV of its increased utility.

A further object is to preserveV the compactness of the vanity case without sacricing its attractiveness,4 and while providing separate compartments for cosmetics.

A further objectief the invention is to provide a vanity case or compact having a mirror'and a cosmetic container, with a mirror wipingm-ember pivotally related to the mirror so as to be movable across the face ofthe mirror for cleaning the same.

A further object is to provide a vanity case with novelly arranged means whereby the operation thereof Will accomplish the above objects; tire construction, cost and arrangement'of'said means increasing the serviceability and utilityof the vanity case Without sacrificing thevcornpactness and beautythereof or adding' excessively'to the manufacturing costV and selling price offsuch' devices.

A further object of the invention is toprovide a vanity case or compact having certain advantageous mechanical features hereinafter more fully described.

Further objects and advantages ofi theA invention will be apparent from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which :v

Fig. 1 is a plan view, partly in section; of a vanity case in open position, and embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 isa sectional view ofthe same, taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is'another sectional view, taken on ther line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a view in elevation of another form of the invention, the case being shown in its open position;

Fig. 5 is a sectional View of the vanity case shown in Fig. 4, taken. on the line tif-5. of 4;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of yet4 another form of the invention, parts being` broken away tov reveal the internal construction;

Fig. 7 is a sectional viewofthe device shown-in Fig. 6, taken on the line 'I-1- thereof;

Fig. 8V is another sectional view of the-same, taken on the` line 8-8;of1Fig. 6;

Fig.V 9 isa plan view of the-same; showingthe case in'extended position; n n

Fig. 1U is a'view partly in'section, ofyet another modified form of' the-invention,Y showing thecase in open position; and: Y

Fig.Y 11 is a sectional View takenl on the line I I-I I of Figi-10. n

Before explaining in detailv the presenti invention it is to beunderstoogd that-the'invention is-not'rlimited'- in its'amJlic-ationV to the details; of constructionl and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanyingY drawings, .since`V theY inventiorris capable-of' other embodiments andiofbeing practiced or carried out in various ways. Also itis to-be understood that the phraseology or terminology employedhereinl is for the'purpose of-descriptl-orr and not of limitation.

lnthe device shown` inV Figs. l,V 2 and 3, the vanity case' kcomprises a cylindrical box ID; formed of metal-'orr other suitable material and" having semicircul'arshells'i i and" I 2 seated-therein, with their upper edgesterminating below-the upper edge-off box Ill.` A'A channely member I3 extends diametricall-y Within'the box II) between the shells I I- and I2; andis-provided-With a hinged` cover I4 which may' befheld inv placeA by a resilient detent- I5. The member I3fthusl forms a compartment suitablefor containing bobby pins,V lipstick, or other small toilet articles.-

TheeIem'ents Hi; II, I2 and I @may be-xedly secu-red together by spot welding, soldering' or other suitable means: The semicircularshellsY IjI and' Ifmay beusedfrespecti'vely for facepowder cake or loose form, indicated at IIS,4 and for rouge'incakeor loose'form, indicated at I-fI. Semicireular-powder or rouge puis- I8 and I9 are positioned uponth'eV elements I 6 and' I1 in theI manner shown'.

A wipingelementlz is securedto the cover I4 andfserves to remove loose powder from the mirror as= described hereinafter.

Acover ZI ishinged'to'the box I-by-means of a hinge 22; andisadapted to=seat whenA in closed position with its edgesI abutting the edges ofI box If; and to beheld in place' by the detent I5, which has? an upwardly extending portion apertured` or indented to engagela'projection 23-inthe cover LN; The outerfsui-'faceloffcover 2| is formed, as lystamping; with a' circular groove'24, which leavesifa raised'boss 215: at'thecenter ofthe' cover. Seated rotatably and eccentrically within this 1boss is: a` pivot memberZE the-head 2T ofwhich lies outside oiltnebox 25. The inner end of 'the membei wis formed with: afeircularflange 218',i xedly Vsecure'dto. adi's'k 30; vvlfiich.v disk lies inl contact with the inner surface of the grooved portion 24 of cover 2|. The peripheral edge of disk 3B is knurled as indicated at32, and one portion thereof projects outwardly through a slot 33 formed in cover 2|. Disk 30 is provided with a circular retaining ange 34 having its edges bent inwardly to retain a circular mirror 35.

In the use of the embodimentl above described, the user rst rotates the mirror 35 by engaging the exposed knurled edge 32 where it projects from the slot 33. Rotation of the mirror through half a revolution will bring all portions of the mirror surface into wiping engagement with the element 20 and thereby remove any powder or other material from the surface thereof. The vanity case may then be opened to the position shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, and used in the usual manner.

In the modified form of the invention shown l.in Figs. 4 and 5, the construction is the same as .cated by the same reference numerals, except as hereinafter pointed out. The mirror 35 is in this modification centered with respect to the cover 2|, being secured in a rotary cup 36 which is secured to the cover 2| by means of a pinA 31, which is mounted at the center of the cover. The outer end or head of the pin 31 is formed with a knob or button 38, adapted to berrotated by the user before opening the case to bring all portions of the mirror into contact with the wiper 20 and thereby remove loose powder therefrom.

In the modification disclosed in Figs. 6 to 9, the vanity case comprises a box 4D suitable for the reception of a face powder or other cosmetic 4|, which may be either in cakeA or powdered form. A powder pui 42 may be positioned within the box 4U as shown Hinged to the box 4E) by means of a hinge 44 is a disk 45. Secured inan arcuate groove 43 formed adjacent the periphery of disk 45 is a wiping element 46, which may be of felt or other suitable material, and is preferably formed in the semi-circular shape shown.

Pivotally related to the disk 45, by means of a pivot pin 41, is a cover portion 48 having :a downwardly and outwardly turned ange 58 for receiving the pin 41 and for retaining la mirror 5|.

The vanity case is provided with suitable securing means 52, 53 on the cover portion 48 and on the disk 45, to retain the elements 48 and 45 in registry with each other. Detent means 55, 56 are likewise formed on the box 40 and the disk to maintain the case in closed position.

In the use of the modication shown in Figs. 6 to 9, the user releases the securing means 55, 56 and swings the disk 45 and cover portion 48 about the hinge 44 to the opened position. The cover portion 48 is then rotated about the pin 41 to expose the mirror, and in this action the wiping element 46 will be brought into wiping engagement with all portions of the mirror, to wipe the same clean. When the vanity case has been used, the elements are returned to their.. i original position and the oase is snapped shut.

g secured to the inner. surface of the member 6D,

and with a depressed and apertured centr-a1 portion 83, as shown. Rotat-ably seated within said portion 66 is a circular member 61 having peripherally upturned edges and retaining a mirror 68 therein, The mirror is preferably located eccentrically of the cover member 6U, being displaced upwardly 'as shown in Fig. 10.

A stud 10 is rotatably mounted in the member 60 and is provided with a knob or button 1| whereby it may be rotated by the operator in the manner of the knob 38 of Figs. 4 and 5. The inner end of stud 10 is xed to the member 81, so that rotation of the knob 1| causes the mirror 68 to rotate in unison therewith.

'A gear 12 is keyed to the stud 18 and engages a second gear 14 which is rotatably mounted on .a stud 15 mounted in the septum 62. The gear 14 in turn engages a pinion 16 which is keyed to a stud'shaft 18 extending through the septum and having keyed to its inner end la wiper arm 80. A journal block 8| is xed to the septum adjacent the pinion 16 and receives the shaft 18 to maintain the same in alignment. The wiper arm is provided with a strip 82 of felt or similar material to remove powder from the mirror 68.

It will be seen that when the knob 1| of Figs. 10 and 11 is rotated, the mirror 68 will rotate in unison therewith, while at the same time force Will be transmitted through gears 12, 14 and 16 to wiper arm 80, causing the arm to describe an `arc about shaft 18 as a pivot. This movement will continue until the Wiper arm contacts the peripheral flange of cover 60, whereupon the operator will reverse the direction of rotation of knob 1|, causing the mirror and Wiper arm to reverse their direction of movement. Although the wiper arm in its movement covers only a portion of the circular area occupied by the mirror, the simultaneous rotation of the mirror results in al1 portions thereof being brought into contact with the strip 82 on the wiper blade, so that the entire surface of the mirror is wiped. At the end of this operation, the user will allow the wiper blade to remain in one of its extreme positions, such as is indicated at 88a in Fig. 10, so as to leave the mirror surface unobstructed for use.

Although the invention has been described with particular reference to certain embodiments thereof, it is not limited to such embodiments, but may be further modified Within the skill of artisans in this art. The invention is therefore not to be considered as limited except in accordance with the terms of the following claims.

I claim: I

1. A vanity case comprising a container for cosmetics, a stationary wiping element in said container, a cover element hinged to said container, and a mirror in said cover element rotatable relative to the wiping element while the l vanity case is in closed position.

2. A vanity case comprising a container, a wiping element in said container and dividing the same into a plurality of compartments for cosmetics, a cover element hingedly related to said container, and a mirror rotatable in said cover element and positioned to contact said wiping element when the case is closed.

3. A vanity case comprising a body portion and a cover portion hingedly related to each other, a receptacle having a cover and dividing the body portion into a plurality of cosmetic compartments, a wiping element secured to said cover, a mirror eccentrically rotatable within said cover member, and means operable when the vanity case is in closed position for rotating said mirror in contact with said wiping element.

4.A vanity case comprising a cylindrical container having a cover portion, va receptacle extending diametrically across said container and dividing the same into two cosmetic compartments, a hinged cover on said receptacle, a wiping element secured to said hinged cover, a mirror mounted in said cover portion and positioned to lie in contact with said wiping element when the case is closed, and means operable when the case is closed to rotate the mirror relative to the wiping element.

5. A vanity case comprising a cylindrical container having a circular cover portion movable to open and closed positions, a mirror rotatably and eccentrically mounted in said cover portion and having actuating means associated therewith and projecting radially outwardly of said cover portion whereby the mirror may be rotated, and a wiping element mounted in the container in position to contact the mirror when the cover portion is in closed position.

6. A vanity case comprising a cylindrical container having a circular cover portion movable to open and closed positions, a mirror rotatably mounted on the inner surface of said cover portion, an actuating member extending to the outer surface of said cover portion and connected to the mirror for rotating the same, and a stationary wiping element mounted within the container in position to Contact the mirror when the cover portion is in closed position.

7. A vanity case comprising a container. a cover for said container having a mirror therein, a connecting member between the container and the cover, and a wiping element on said connecting member adapted to engage said mirror.

8. A vanity case comprising a cylindrical container for cosmetics, a connecting element hingedly connected to the container, a wiping element secured to said connecting member, a cover element pivotally related to said connecting element, and a mirror mounted in said cover element and movable therewith into and out of engagement with said wiping element.

9. A vanity case comprising a cylindrical container, a wiping element hingedly connected to the container, a cover element pivotally related to said connecting element, and a mirror secured to said cover element and movable therewith into and out of wiping engagement with said wiping element.

10.A vanity case comprising a container for cosmetics, a cover hingedly related to said container, a mirror rotatably mounted in said cover, an actuating member extending to the outer surface of said cover and connected to the mirror for rotating the same, and a wiper blade driven by said actuating member and movable in wiping engagement with said mirror.

11. A vanity case comprising a container for cosmetics, a cover for said container, a mirror rotatably mounted in said cover, an actuating member projecting from the outer surface of said cover and connected to the mirror for rotating the same, a gear train driven by said actuating member, and a wiper blade connected to said gear train and driven thereby and movable in wiping engagement with said mirror.

12. A vanity case comprising a cylindrical container for cosmetics, a cover for said container, a circular septum in said cover, a mirror rotatably mounted upon the inner surface of said septum, a rotary actuating member extending to the outer surface of said cover and fixed relative to said mirror to rotate in unison therewith, a gear train comprising a gear i'lxed relative to said actuating member and a second gear driven by said first mentioned gear, and a wiper blade fixed relative to said said second gear and movable in wiping engagement with said mirror.

13. The invention defined in claim l2, wherein the gear train includes a third gear engaging the first mentioned gear and the second gear and journaled in said septum.

14. A vanity case comprising a. container for cosmetics, a cupped cover articulated to the container for movement to open and closed positions, a mirror mounted on the inner surface of the cover and rotatable relative thereto, means extending to the outer surface of the cover and operable while the cover is in closed position to rotate the mirror, and a wiper element within the vanity case positioned to contact the mirror when the same is being rotated.

15. A vanity case comprising a cupped container for cosmetics, a cupped cover therefor connected to the container and movable to open and closed positions, a mirror mounted on the inner surface of the cover, a wiper element mounted within the vanity case and positioned to contact the mirror at least while the cover is in closed position, and means extending to the outer surface of the cover and operable while the cover is in closed position to cause relative rotation between the wiper element and the mirror.

16. A vanity case comprising a cupped container for cosmetics, a cupped cover therefor hinged to the container and movable to open and closed positions, a septum in said cover, a mirror rotatably mounted upon the inner surface of said septum, actuating means extending to the outer surface of the cover and connected to said mirror to rotate the same, a wiper element pivotally related to said septum and contacting the mirror, and connecting means between the actuating means and the wiper element for moving the latter when the mirror is being rotated.

17. A vanity case comprising a container for cosmetics, a cover articulated thereto, a mirror rotatably mounted within the cover, a wiper element pivotally mounted for oscillation within the cover in contact with the mirror, an actuating member extending to the outer surface of the cover, and connections between the actuating member' and the mirror and wiper element for simultaneously actuating both.

- FLOYD M. WILLIAMSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the iile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,456,453 Lindenmayer May 22, 1923 2,106,254 Newell Jan. 25, 1938 2,165,599 Williamson July 11, 1939 2,167,702 Williamson Aug. 1, 1939 2,327,513 Esterow Aug. 24, 1943 

